BOONE, N.C. — It was a heartbreaking goodbye as a K-9 was seen lying down beside a casket during a funeral to honor two fallen Watauga County sheriff’s deputies.
Already during the service, dozens of K-9s from law enforcement agencies across the state paid their respects by visiting both the caskets of Sgt. Chris Ward and K-9 deputy Logan Fox.
Fox leaves behind his partner, K-9 Raven. Deputy Fox and Raven were both repeat visitors of the Pet Place in Boone.
"Logan was marvelous," Tina Townsend said who owns the store. "He had a huge heart for anybody and anything."
Townsend said the duo shared a special bond.
"The bond between them is, it's almost, I don't know how to describe it," Townsend said. "It's like a look or a feeling. It just takes off."
Fox and Ward were shot and killed last week during a welfare check that turned into an hours-long standoff at the house on Hardeman Circle in Boone. Five people were killed, including the two deputies and a married coupled, identified as the homeowners George and Michelle Ligon. Watauga County investigators said the suspect, identified as the son of the homeowners, then shot and killed himself.
The funeral was held Thursday at Appalachian State University's Holmes Convocation Center.